In March 2020, the two casinos in Massachusetts had a total of 95 poker tables between them. Of those, 74 resided at Encore, with the remaining 21 at MGM. The tables operated 24/7, according to Sentinel & Enterprise.
Then the pandemic closed both casino resorts.
Today, the properties possess 5,264 slot machines and 232 table games at the state’s slots parlor and casinos, but only 29 poker tables. What gives, Massachusetts?
“I’m still concerned that when we look at it statewide, how many poker tables we actually have going … for the entire state, seems very, very small to me,” Brad Hill, a member of the state’s gaming commission, said after getting an update on operations at the state’s gaming facilities. He’d like to see the numbers go up.
Pressure from the commission is what got the casinos moving on poker, even though it’s less profitable. MGM brought poker back in October 2021 and now offers 14 tables available from 10 a.m. until 3 a.m. Encore added poker back to the mix in January and has 15 poker tables that are open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday only.
According to Burke Cain, assistant chief of the gaming commission’s Gaming Agents Division, Encore expects to announce more hours.
“I didn’t want to steal their thunder, but I think that’s forthcoming in a very short period of time. It’s going to be expanded to some weekend hours and a little bit longer hours, as I understand,” he said.
Chair Cathy Judd-Stein has seen a deluge of commentary from poker players not too happy with the status quo. She has floated the idea to dedicate more of the time to talk poker: the number of tables, the hours, the wait time.
Encore’s application said that it plans “an exclusive poker area with 25 dedicated poker tables covering all variations of the most popular poker games.” MGM Springfield’s application said it would also feature “a 25-table poker room.”
